It’s a
very happy Pugwash that writes this weekend; we are in Europe and the
schedule is confirmed; flights are booked and my relief is due to
arrive on Tuesday. This first voyage with Maestro is very nearly at
its end, I look back “fondly” on the endless delays, the stinking
hot weather and the lack of beer for the last 14 days!
Masterchef,
“Gibraltar Style”
During
Monday we transited the Straits of Gibraltar late in the afternoon;
the weather was lovely albeit a little overcast. The scenery on the
Moroccan side was spectacular as high rocky peaks plunged into the
azure seas, the view would have been far better with a beer in hand
but the red wine sufficed. The route into the Mediterranean takes you
on the south side of the straits so, with the haze, we were not able
to clearly make it out Gibraltar; however we knew it was there as we
could tune the TV into Gibraltar TV and radio. It might be English
speaking but the selection of “entertainment”
on offer was a little lacking; Gibraltar’s version of Masterchef
will remind me not to dine out on The Rock should I return!
Deep
Tan
Following
our transit through the Straits of Gibraltar we had a few days at sea
before our first port of call, Fos-sur-Mer. Fos is a very large
container facility built in the 1960’s, it was built on reclaimed
marshland for the largest new container ships of the era.
Unfortunately the new container vessels have outgrown the limited
facilities and it is struggling in the shadow of the new and larger
container ports in Spain and Italy. Fos was the destination for our
cargo of yellowcake, a hazardous cargo that everybody has been trying
to convince me is totally safe! So as we arrived in Fos, we were
greeted with an armada of safety and escort vessel to guide us to our
berth. The reception committee was all dressed in the latest NBC
(nuclear, biological and chemical) suits as the containers were
inspected and readings taken with a Geiger counter before the
clearance was given to discharge the cargo. Now this yellowcake is
the same yellowcake that has minimal radioactivity and you would
receive a larger dose of radiation if you had 4 x-rays, so suddenly
it is treated like it has come from Chernobyl! Maestro, Delmas (the
shippers) and the processing company have been saying that there was
no risk, which has changed to minimal risk to now they will be
looking at monitoring our levels of exposure. As some of you will
know, I’m pretty mercenary on these matters; I’m quite happy to
take the risk as long as you pay me for it! And there was me thinking
my healthy glow was due to the rather deep tan which 7 weeks in the
sun has given me.
The
Weather
The
weather in the Mediterranaen has been more “North Sea” than
“Mediterranean Sea”; grey, dark angry skies have replaced the
clear blue skies. Gentle breezes have given way to Northerly gales
and calm seas have been whipped into a maelstrom. The voyage from Fos
down to Valencia was a fairly violent affair; Ro-Ro ships are not the
best sea keeping vessels, and when they are empty of cargo, fuel and
ballast they can’t half move around! The excessive motion certainly
kept me on my toes and I spent a night in the engine room nursing the
main engine. It was probably the best place to be as looking at the
devestation in the accomodation sleeping wouldn’t have been
possible!
Valencia
“The
rain in Spain, falls mainly on the plain!” No it doesn’t, it
falls mainly on my head; as we spent 4 hours loading fuel it
absolutely lashed it down! I was like a drowned rat when we’d
finished, suddenly the scorching weather of West Africa looks
fantastic. We had a nights stopover in Valencia, something I was
looking forward to; a bit of San Miguel and tapas was just what I
needed. After spending an hour wandering around the container port
trying to find the gate out I gave up and went back on board, I could
see the bars and hear the music but I couldn’t find my way there!
Denied….
Smoky
Old Wreck
As
we were at anchor waiting to enter the port of Valencia, the mighty
Cunard cruise ship Queen Elizabeth passed us by. As we sat and looked
at such an impressive vessel, the Chief Engineer within me observed
the amount of smoke from her engines as she passed. The Maestro Sea
might not be as big or as impressive, but I can keep my engines from
smoking as much as hers. One up for the Maestro Sea! Perhaps I should
have a word with the Chief…
Aussie
Humour
This
week’s treat is a little bit of Aussie humour;
this was voted Australia’s funniest joke...
A man walks into his
bedroom with a sheep under his arm and says,
"Darling, this is the pig I have sex with when you have a headache."
His wife is lying in bed and replies, "I think you'll find that that's a sheep, you idiot."
The man says, "I think you'll find I wasn't talking to you.”
"Darling, this is the pig I have sex with when you have a headache."
His wife is lying in bed and replies, "I think you'll find that that's a sheep, you idiot."
The man says, "I think you'll find I wasn't talking to you.”
Admit it, it is quite
funny! Ok, try this one…
God visits a man and tells him he
must give up smoking, drinking and sex, if he wants to enter the
kingdom of heaven..... The man says he’ll try, but it’s not going
to be easy. God revisits the man a week later to see how he’s
getting on... ‘Not bad’ says the man ‘I’ve given up smoking
and drinking but when the wife bent over the freezer the other day I
just couldn’t contain myself and had to do it to her there and
then, hard and fast’.
‘They don’t like that sort of
thing in heaven’ says God. ‘They weren’t too chuffed about it
in Asda either’ says the man.
…Mentions…
Once
again my birthday calendar is empty, however it is my wedding
anniversary on Monday 29th
April; so to my wife…
Have a
very happy anniversary, all my love! xxx
From
the Galley
I’ll
leave you with another recipe from the galley; barbecues will be a
real treat at my place, crunchy pea salad, lovely!
Green
Peas
Peas
are high in fibre, protein, vitamins (C, B, E and K) and minerals
(such as calcium, iron, copper, zinc and manganese). Pea pods are
excellent source of folic acid.
Crunchy
Pea Salad
Ingredients: 1
package frozen peas (thawed); 1 cup cauliflower (chopped); 1 cup
celery (diced); 1 cup slivered almonds; 1/4 cup green onions
(sliced); 1 cup salad dressing; 1/2 cup sour cream; 1/2tsp dill weed;
1/4tsp salt; 1/8tsp pepper; Lettuce leaves (optional).
Method: Take a
large bowl. Add peas, cauliflower, celery, almonds, onions, salad
dressing, cream, drill weed, salt and pepper. Mix well. Cover and
chill until serving. Serve on lettuce if desired.
Green
Peas with Onion
Ingredients: 1
medium onion (sliced); 1tsp garlic (minced); 2tbsp butter; 1 package
frozen peas; 3tbsp water; 1/2tsp salt; 1/4tsp pepper.
Method: Take
large skillet, add butter and saute garlic and onion until tender.
Add peas and water.
Bring to a
boil. Cover and cook for another 4-5 minutes (until peas are tender)
over low heat. Season with salt and pepper.
Creamy
Pea Salad
Ingredients:
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream; 2 bacon strips (cooked and crumbled); 1
green onion (chopped); 1tsp white wine vinegar; 1/2tsp salt; 1/8tsp
pepper; 3 cups fresh or frozen peas (thawed).
Method: Take a
bowl.
Add cream,
bacon strips, onion, vinegar and salt and mix well.
Add peas; toss
to coat.
Refrigerate for
at least 1 hour before serving.
Enjoy!
And so it is
farewell from the Maestro Sea, no doubts I’ll return in June with
more tales of adventure on the high seas.
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